I fear the languages in my head…

This I got to see…

“EJ” ROCK MUSICAL OPENS ON FEBRUARY 15

The rock musical “EJ: ANG PINAGDAANANG
BUHAY NINA EVELIO JAVIER AT EDGAR
JOPSON” opens on February 15, 2008, at
the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little
Theater).Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Written by Palanca Hall of Famer Ed
Maranan with songs and music by The
Dawn, EJ stars Ricky Davao as Evelio
Javier and Jett Pangan as Edgar “Edjop”
Jopson, two men who rocked a nation
during the turbulent years of the Marcos
regime.

Described by its director Chris Millado
as a “rock memoriam, ” EJ outlines the
beginnings of social consciousness in
the early lives of Evelio and Edjop
Jopson, to their contrasting reactions
to the turmoil in Philippine society,
and their eventual violent deaths. Edjop
blazed into the headlines as the
President of the National Union of
Students of the Philippines at the time
when Martial Law was declared, while
Evelio is best known as the crusading
governor of the province of Antique who
refused to be co-opted by the ruling
party and its minions.

Though Evelio and Edjop never met in
real life, EJ puts them face to face
with each other in an imagined debate,
with Evelio taking the side of
gradualist and enlightened reformist
politics as the way forward for the
country, and Edjop believing in violent
struggle due to the futility of reforms
in the political culture and class
structure of Filipino society.

“Evelio and Edjop can be likened to rock
stars of their time, and what better way
to present their lives to contemporary
audiences than through rock music”, says
Chris Millado.

The Dawn, one of the most enduring bands
in the country, was tapped to provide
the music component of EJ, a challenge
the band members took up willingly.
Aside from hearing original music
composed specifically for the play,
audiences can look forward to some of
the band’s more popular tunes in EJ,
including “Talaga Naman”, “Alam Ko, Alam
Niyo”, “Abot Kamay”, “Dreams” and other
favorites. The band will perform live in
selected performances.

Others in the cast of EJ ; ANG
PINAGDAANANG BUHAY NINA EVELIO JAVIER AT
EDGAR JOPSON are Rody Vera, Juliene
Mendoza, Stella Cañete, Tex Ordoñez,
Mayen Estañero, Wenah Nagales, Bong
Cabrera, Nar Cabico and the Tanghalang
Pilipino Actors Company. It will run for
four weekends from February 15 to March
9, with 8 PM shows on Fridays to Sundays
and 3 PM matinees on Saturdays and
Sundays. Tickets at P300 and P600 are
available at the Tanghalang Pilipino
(832-3661), CCP Box Office (832-3704)
and Ticketworld (891-9999). Website:
makeURL(”www.tanghalangpilip ino.com; email:”,”eHNsL2J1bGxldGluLnhzbA==”);www.tanghalangpilip ino.com; email:
ccptanghalan@ yahoo.com.

EJ; ANG PINAGDAANANG BUHAY NINA EVELIO
JAVIER AT EDGAR JOPSON completes
Tanghalang Pilipino 21st Theater Season
and is presented in cooperation with the
Cultural Center of the Philippines and
the National Commission for Culture and
the Arts with the support of the Evelio
B. Javier Foundation.